


All Other Duties

by leopardchic79



Category: Social Network (2010)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-21
Updated: 2012-07-03
Packaged: 2017-11-09 03:32:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/450776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leopardchic79/pseuds/leopardchic79
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p> Chris POV.  Post-movie.  Chris takes on Eduardo's role as best-friend and becomes a matchmaker along the way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chris did not remember agreeing to the role of Mark's caretaker.  He was pretty sure that there had been nothing even similar to it in that initial "Chris's compensation will depend on the amount of work he actually does" speech.  Although, he often finds himself wondering how he can reference those words to get a bigger paycheck.  
  
The thing was...Chris had seen it coming.  
  
That first summer in California, he'd watched Mark and Eduardo's relationship strain and tear.  He'd suffered Mark's greater-than-usual irritability and bluntness because Chris knew he was missing Eduardo even if he’d never admit it.  He'd watched Sean Parker worm his way into Mark's thoughts and ideas and help drive a wedge between the two friends.  He'd listened patiently to the occasional phone call from Eduardo about how he was tired and working hard and questions about how things were going, knowing full well that there were other underlying questions he couldn't bring himself to ask.  _How is Mark?  Why won't Mark return my calls?  Does Mark miss me?_  
  
It had hurt to see his friends suffering, but he hadn't interfered...and he regretted that now.  Maybe he couldn't have prevented their falling out, Mark's heartless betrayal or Eduardo's retaliation...but he wishes that he would have tried.  
  
Sighing, he walked further into Mark's office and perched on the edge of his desk, drumming his fingers in a way he knew was irritating until Mark finally looked up.  There was annoyance in his eyes and he sat back just slightly in his chair waiting impatiently.  But Chris wasn't so easy to scare and he crossed his arms over his chest, returning Mark's glare with equal fervor.  
  
Eventually, Mark rolled his eyes in defeat and slid his headphones down to rest on his shoulders.  "What?" he asked flatly.  
  
"It's eleven-thirty," Chris replied, matching Mark's bored tone.  He could do this all night...but he'd really prefer to go home.  
  
"And?"  
  
"And it's Saturday.  And there is nothing of grave importance for you to be working on this late in the evening on a Saturday."  
  
"You already said it's Saturday."  
  
Chris intensified his glare, feeling a bit smug when Mark looked away first.  "Save whatever you were working on and turn off your computer.  I'll buy you a drink."  
  
"What if I don't want a drink?"  
  
"I'll buy you one anyway."  
  
Mark opened his mouth to reply again but Chris beat him to it.  "Don't argue with me, Mark.  I'm not in the mood," he snapped.  
  
He'd had other plans for the evening besides spending it with Mark in a restaurant-slash-bar near the office.  Plans involving a third date with a guy he really liked.  A third date with a guy he really liked whom he'd already cancelled several dates on because of work.  Or more accurately because of _Mark_.  So far the guy had been patient, but Chris wondered how long that would last.  
  
For some reason, things with Mark had been getting worse in the past few months and Chris couldn't figure out why.  After the lawsuit Mark had been insufferable and Chris had come close to quitting more than once.  The only thing that kept him from leaving was knowing the personal heartbreak behind the professional break up.

Things had been bad ever since the night Eduardo had smashed Mark's computer.  Their relationship had cracked just as badly as those shards of plastic and metal.  Chris had known, above all else, that Mark hadn't known how to deal with any of it.  But the site was still in its infancy and Facebook had taken precedence over anything else in any of their lives then.  So Chris had simply watched - when he'd had a second - and saw Mark lock it all away.  
  
There had been moments (and there still were) when something threatened to break Mark's carefully and sturdily constructed walls.  An inside joke that Eduardo was no longer there to get.  Someone bringing him food to which Mark would look up with a glimmer of warmth in his eyes until he remembered it wasn't who he wanted it to be.  The paperwork from Eduardo's lawyers that Chris had held onto for as long as he could before he and Dustin had been forced to give it to Mark.  
  
He hadn't left his office for nearly three days after that.  
  
Chris and Mark had never been particularly close in college, but then again, no one had been particularly close to Mark except Eduardo.  However, Chris soon found himself struck with the need to watch over him.  He'd taken it upon himself to make sure Mark ate regular food, to make sure he didn't go blind from staring at his computer screen for too many hours straight, and to make sure he went home sometimes and slept.  
  
It wasn't the same.  Chris knew that.  Mark knew that.  But they slowly formed a stronger friendship than they had ever had before, and soon Chris found that he didn't mind taking care of Mark as much because he genuinely cared about him and his well being.  He knew Mark felt the same, because there were times Mark would talk to him about something other than work.  Occasionally Mark wouldn't complain when Chris forced him to go home.  And sometimes Mark even laughed with Chris and gave him genuine smiles.  
  
Those smiles were a bit addicting and Chris found himself trying to force more of them out him.  He suddenly began to understand why Eduardo had spent so much time and effort trying to do the same things.  The only difference was Chris wasn't hopelessly in love with Mark.

Of course, Mark, for all of his claims to not need anyone, latched onto Chris’ attentions rather easily. It wasn’t long before Chris knew exactly how Eduardo must have felt…desperate, starved for attention, and taken for granted. Dustin had spent a good many nights teasing Chris about how he was the new Wardo. But as Chris wasn’t bound by an ill-advised crush like Wardo had been, he told Mark quickly and with no room for argument that he was not going to be his personal assistant. He might have landed the role of caretaker, but he wasn’t doing any of it because it was expected of him. He was doing it because Mark was his friend and he wanted to. And if Mark thought he could take advantage of it and that Chris would be there whenever he needed and for whatever reason…well he had another thought coming.

For the most part, however, things worked out fine between them. And as the months passed and Facebook grew into something none of them had ever dreamed it would, Mark became easier to deal with. Chris knew what he still missed, knew that someday Mark would have to resolve his feelings for Eduardo and everything that had happened, but for the most part he was moving on. Chris was happy. Facebook was happy. Mark was…as happy as Mark could be.

Now though, for the past few months, there was a certain tenseness to the atmosphere around Mark that had not been there since immediately following the depositions. But it had been two years since Eduardo had sued Mark, so Chris wanted to know what had happened.

One of the things Chris had slowly learned about Mark over the years was that he wasn't as cold and unfeeling as he liked people to believe.  A lot of it was obliviousness to others' feelings or a lack of how to - or why he should - participate in normal social niceties.  Mostly, Chris knew, he was usually too wrapped up in his own head to deal with other people; and those who didn't realize that translated it into the commonly used phrase that Mark was just an asshole.  Chris certainly knew that he could be, there was no denying that.  But he also knew that Mark felt a lot more than he ever let show; one just had to know where to look for it...or how to get him to show it.  
   
Chris listened with half of his attention as Mark explained a new interactive feature for the site that he wanted to try and implement soon.  He was never more animated as when he was talking about Facebook.  But Chris was too busy observing Mark to actually listen to most of what he was saying.  He knew that would come back to bite him in the ass at some point, because Mark _would_ remember this and he did not like to repeat himself.  But right now, Chris didn't care.  Instead, he was watching Mark finish his third beer in less than twenty minutes, noting how he was talking a little too quickly - even for Mark - and above all else, the look of utter exhaustion on his face.  
   
The PR part of Chris wanted to object to Mark doing a shot of tequila, but getting Mark drunk was the easiest – and sometimes only – way to get him to open up. So he continued to observe and nod and nurse his first beer, interjecting a few words here and there to keep Mark talking.  
   
It didn't take long.  Mark had always been a lightweight, and to combine that with his obvious fatigue made the whole plan move along much quicker than Chris could've hoped for.  
   
"Mark?"  
   
"Hmm?"  He was slouched back in his seat now, picking at some French fries and fighting to keep his eyes open.  
   
"What's been going on with you for the past two months or so?"  
   
Mark frowned.  "What do you mean?"  
   
"You've been working more than usual...even for you.  You're snapping at everyone with no real reason.  You're not sleeping...which is obvious."  
   
"I don't know what you're talking about," Mark replied sullenly.  "I don't sleep that much...ever.  And I'm not snapping."  
   
Chris nearly laughed; he sounded like he was about eight years old.  He half expected Mark to cross his arms over his chest and start pouting.  "You are.  Which I know isn't that out of character for you unfortunately, but it's been worse in the past few months.  Tell me why."  
   
Mark glared at him and said nothing.  Chris raised an eyebrow and stared back at him, waiting.  
   
"I'm fine Chris," Mark answered tightly, eyes flashing angrily.  He hated being forced into a corner and Chris knew this.  Unfortunately, Chris had only begun.  
   
"I know you only left the office for a total of about ten hours last week."  
   
"I left the same time as you every night!  You practically walked me to my car," Mark snapped.  
   
"Yes, but I know you came back in the middle of the night.  You were probably home for about two or three hours each night."  
   
Mark didn't reply to that but continued to stare at Chris resentfully.  
   
"You've let quite a few things that need your attention pile up in your inbox so you can solely write code."  
   
"The code's more important than whatever garbage you think is piling up in my inbox."  
   
"Maybe.  But we also have plenty of coders to do most of that work.  We only have one CEO however, who has more responsibilities than sitting in front of his computer all day."  
   
"Don't talk about me like I'm not here."  
   
"Quit avoiding my question."  Chris was having a hard time keeping his voice steady; he wanted to yell at Mark because conversations like these were frustrating beyond belief.  But he had learned early on that yelling at Mark was the quickest way to get him to close up and say nothing.  
   
When Mark continued to sit silently and stare at him, Chris went on, leaning forward across the table a bit and lowering his voice. "You made Sarah cry yesterday."  
   
Mark flinched at that and looked away.  Chris couldn't help feeling a bit good about that.  Mark deserved to feel bad for the way he'd been treating his assistant lately.  And the thing was, Chris knew that Mark liked her.  She was good at what she did, she had a good sense of humor - one had to when working with Mark - and she had a thick skin. The latter was probably the biggest reason Mark appreciated her so much. His first few assistants would tear up – and usually quit – if Mark so much as glared at them for a few moments. But Sarah could take it. She’d glare right back and she wasn’t afraid to argue with him. Most importantly she always had things ready for Mark before he even thought about needing it. So the fact that Mark had said something nasty enough to her to make her cry was a big deal.

“I apologized to her today,” Mark grumbled. “I may have been a bit…harsh. I _did_ feel badly about that,” he admitted reluctantly.

Chris nodded, pleased with his response and his actions, but it wasn’t going to let him off the hook. “So you see what I mean then,” he said quietly. “Something’s up with you. Something that hasn’t been there for a while. Not since right after--”

“Don’t,” Mark interjected quickly, his voice harsh. 

He met Chris’s eyes fleetingly and there was a look of desperation there that Chris hadn’t seen in a long time. It made his stomach drop. This _couldn’t_ be about Eduardo. Not after all this time. Unless…unless something had happened recently. Chris sat back in the booth and downed the rest of his beer, watching as Mark continued staring at the table, his fingers tapping nervously against the wooden surface. Chris racked his brain and thought back over the past few months, trying to pick apart Mark’s schedule in his head and think how Eduardo fit into any of it.

The answer came to him more quickly than he liked; he should have thought of it before.  But maybe he hadn't wanted to admit that this current attitude had anything to do with Mark's former best friend.  Because if it did...that situation was messy and difficult and was not going to be an easy one to resolve.  
  
"Almost two months ago," Chris said softly.  "You were by yourself at a conference in New York.  You saw Eduardo there, didn't you?"  
  
Mark said nothing in reply, just continued to stare at the table as if it was the answer to solving all of his problems.  But Chris wasn't deterred; he hadn't expected a response.  "I remember telling you that he would be there," Chris went on, almost to himself. He always made sure to tell Mark when Eduardo would be at the same events he was attending.  Mark still didn't move, his fingers still drumming anxiously against the table top.  "In fact I remember you telling me that it wasn't a big deal and you'd seen him at other functions before and--"  
  
"Chris, _please_..."  
  
His voice was strangled and soft, and it gave Chris pause for the first time all night. He knew he needed to push Mark sometimes, but this…. Chris swallowed hard and leaned forward a bit, slowly reaching across the table and covering Mark’s nervously bouncing hand with his own. He was well aware that Mark’s most likely reaction would be to snatch his hand away and then _walk_ away from him, but Chris couldn’t let things go on without trying. It was no longer about getting Mark to open up but also to comfort him. Despite how much he managed to infuriate Chris on a daily basis, they were friends…closer friends than they had ever been before, and Chris hated to see him suffer.

Surprisingly, Mark didn’t pull his hand away, but went still instead and drew in a shaky breath. He still wouldn’t meet Chris’s eyes, but Chris was willing to take what he could get. Like he had just said to Mark, the two former best friends _had_ seen each other at charity events or even the occasional business meeting in the years since the lawsuits. It usually left Mark a little on edge, but this was something different. Something more than just the seemingly-indifferent head nod from across the room must have happened at this event.

“You’re right,” Mark said suddenly. “I saw him in New York.” Chris waited, knowing he wasn’t finished; he was just surprised that he was talking. He wondered briefly if it was because of the alcohol or if he was really that miserable. “I saw him at the dinner and it was just like it usually is. We didn’t speak, we…it was the same,” he murmured. Clearly Mark was not happy about things being _the same_ , but Chris knew better than to comment now.

"I...I kinda got distracted with something on my laptop so by the time I left the conference room there was no one there anymore and it was late.  I stopped in the hotel restaurant-bar thing to get something to eat, and I...I saw him again."  
  
"Did you talk to him?" Chris asked softly.  He was well aware that any conversation between Mark and Eduardo had the great potential to end very badly.  Eduardo had every right to ignore Mark and even to argue with him, but Chris was concerned by whatever he might have said that had caused Mark to retreat within himself again for the past two months.  
  
"No," Mark answered, shaking his head slightly.  His fingers trembled a little beneath Chris's touch, and Chris had to stop himself from squeezing Mark's hand.  "No...he was there with...with someone else," continued, voice rough now.  "He didn't see me.  He wasn't...paying attention to...anything else except the...the guy he was with."  His words were quiet and painfully disjointed, and Chris knew how much this was costing him to admit.  If Mark were anyone else, Chris would get up, sit next to him and hug him, but that just wasn't an option.  Unable to resist, Chris gave in and squeezed his hand gently, wanting Mark to know it was okay to hurt and that it was okay to admit to it.  His heart sunk when Mark quickly and quietly pulled his hand out of Chris's grasp and shoved it protectively into the pocket of his hoodie.  
  
Their waitress chose that moment to reappear, and Mark beat Chris in asking for the bill by ordering another beer and another shot of tequila, eyes a little glassy as he glanced up at her and then fleetingly met Chris's concerned gaze.  They sat in silence until she returned, Mark drawn in on himself, Chris worried and trying to figure out how to make his friend feel better.  
  
When Mark set his empty shot glass down and picked up his beer, he looked at Chris again.  His eyes were full of pain and regret and no matter what he deserved, Chris wanted to make that look go away.  He took a sip of his beer and smiled sadly, fingers back to tapping nervously against the table.  
  
"He looked happy Chris."  
  
The words were so soft that he wasn't entirely sure he'd heard them correctly, if at all.  Deciphering Mark's feelings behind these words was even more difficult.  He couldn't tell if Mark was happy that Eduardo was happy or if he was jealous and regretful that Eduardo might have moved on.  Maybe it was a little bit of both.  Or maybe Mark was still trying to figure that out himself.  Suddenly Mark's behavior from the last couple of months made much more sense.  
  
Unfortunately, all Chris wanted to do now was figure out a way to fix things...a task he knew was next to impossible.  When the waitress came back again, Chris quickly asked for their check and paid it before Mark could order anymore drinks.  Although, another quick glance in Mark's direction led Chris to believe that he might have fallen asleep.  
  
Chris stood up and sighed softly; he reached out and gently shook Mark's shoulder.  "Mark...come on, let's go."  
  
Mark jerked a little, blinking as he looked up at Chris and frowned.  "I'm not tired."  
  
Chris laughed a little and tugged on his arm, pulling him up as Mark seemed to realize he wasn't at the office, and Chris wasn't giving him the usual lecture about why he needed to go home.  
  
The drive wasn't a long one, but Mark fell asleep in Chris's car, curled up against the window, his hands still shoved in the pockets of his hoodie.  Chris frowned, hating the way Mark looked exhausted even when he was sleeping.  He led a very wobbly Mark from the car into his house, a little surprised that Mark hadn't pushed him away yet.  Chris had helped a drunken Mark home before, but he had never, ever been this pliant.  
  
"I'm not tired," Mark repeated sullenly.  He tugged Chris in the direction of his living room and sat down on the couch.  
  
"Do you want some water?  Something to eat?"  Chris asked, crossing his arms over his chest and looking down at Mark curiously.  He'd hoped Mark would just want to go to sleep, because all he wanted to do was figure out what the hell he was going to do next.  And he couldn't do that with Mark looking at him like he didn't want him to leave.  It was not a look he was accustomed to.  Mark shook his head in response so Chris sighed and sat down next to him on the couch and waited for whatever it was he _did_ want.  
  
The _very_ last thing Chris expected was for Mark to drop his head on Chris's shoulder and curl into his side.  
  
"I miss him Chris."

It was the most emotion Chris had heard in Mark’s voice in a long time.  Chris had always known that Mark had never gotten over Eduardo. He had just buried all of his feelings and tried to pretend he had dealt with them as easily as writing a settlement check. None of it had worked. Because Eduardo had always been more than just a business partner, even more than just a friend…Chris knew what Eduardo had been to Mark. His first real best friend, the one who laughed at his jokes and put up with him when he was a jerk. Eduardo had listened, had understood, had been there for Mark without fail. 

They were hard shoes to fill.

It was more than all that though. Chris didn’t know all of the details, mainly because Mark wouldn’t talk about it and the time to ask Eduardo questions had come and gone. But Chris knew Eduardo had been more than Mark’s best friend. They had been more to _each other_ than just friends. He could remember quite clearly all of those secret looks between the two of them, walking in on flushed cheeks and swollen lips as they tried to pretend they had always been sitting on opposite ends of the couch. Eduardo had been crazy about Mark, would have done anything for him – and did – and had fallen hopelessly in love with him. And it hadn’t been one sided. Mark had lit up when Eduardo was near. He’d always complained about Eduardo’s mother-henning, especially when he dragged him away from his computer…but there was always a small smile there. He didn’t mind it…in fact Chris secretly thought that he loved having Eduardo take care of him.

But more than anything else, Chris knew that Mark was, and always had been, just as in love with Eduardo. And he had never known how to reconcile that with what he had done to Eduardo or the lawsuit. Tonight only proved that Mark was _still_ in love with Eduardo.

"Have you tried telling him that?" Chris asked softly.  He couldn't resist sliding an arm around Mark, hand resting flat against his upper back.  He knew Mark didn't usually like to be touched, but seeing as Mark was the one who had curled up against him, he didn't think he'd mind.  
  
Mark shook his head against Chris's shoulder, but his answer was just the opposite.  "Yes.  I...kind of tried."  
  
Chris smiled and gently squeezed the back of Mark's neck.  "What does that mean?"  
  
"I tried to call him...once.  But he must have gotten a new number, because it wasn't him."  Mark sounded sullen about it as if Eduardo had no right to change his number.  Chris knew that not having the correct number was just an excuse though.  If Mark had really wanted to call and talk to Eduardo he could have found his new number.  "I emailed him too," Mark went on, sounding a bit more careful now as if he was afraid of revealing too much.  
  
Chris resisted the urge to slip his fingers beneath Mark's chin and force him to look up and meet his eyes, but not by much.  He wasn't used to having Mark this close; it was strangely unnerving.  Strangely... _alluring_ in a way.  Chris shook his head and asked another question.  
  
"Did he email you back?"  
  
"No...well, I didn't actually send them."  
  
Chris rolled his eyes.  "Don't try and tell me that you didn't have his correct email address.  I know that you of all people would be able to get it."  
  
"I have the right address.  I just...I never sent it to him.  I never sent any of them.  I just saved them all in my drafts folder."  
  
Chris was curious about how many emails Mark had actually written.  "Mark, why didn't you send any of them?"  
  
"I dunno," Mark mumbled into Chris's shoulder.  
  
"Mark."  
  
"I didn't want..." he paused and looked up to meet Chris's eyes with a quick glance.  
  
Chris felt his heart ache sharply at the amount of pain and regret in Mark's eyes.  It took a lot for Mark to show what he was feeling, even when he was drunk.  So Chris knew exactly how brokenhearted he really was.  He pulled Mark closer and laid his cheek against the top of his head.  Mark didn't resist, in fact he sighed a little bit and relaxed more fully against him.  
  
"I didn't send the emails because I didn't want him to reply and tell me to fuck off," Mark said finally.  He drew in a shuddering breath and sighed softly against Chris's neck.  "Or to not reply at all.  I think...I think that would have been worse."  
  
Chris didn't believe that those were the only two responses Mark might have received.  He hadn't spoken to Eduardo in a few months; Dustin had actually remained closer to Eduardo over the years.  But Chris still talked to him occasionally and the few times they had talked about Mark, there was always a hesitance in Eduardo's expression.  As if he had to hold himself back from asking too much.  
  
"I never meant for it to happen that way.  The dilution I mean.  I was going to...to tell him by myself.  I didn't do it to hurt him.  I had to...he wasn't getting it...I never wanted things to happen the way they did."  His voice was an odd combination of frantic and exhausted.  
  
"It's not me that you should be telling this to," Chris murmured, hand moving comfortingly over Mark's back.  
  
"But you're _here_ ," Mark protested.  "And I don't know how to talk to him anymore."  
  
Chris sighed and pulled back a little so he could look into Mark's eyes.  They were still sad.  "Yes you do.  You're just afraid to try."  
  
Mark rolled his eyes and opened his mouth for what Chris was sure would be a sarcastic response, but Chris beat him too it.  "It's true Mark.  If you'd tell Eduardo what you just told me...I'm not saying everything will instantly be rainbows and puppies, but...you meant the world to him Mark.  He'll listen if you make the effort."  
  
Mark stared at him intently for a few moments, seemingly absorbing and processing Chris's words.  Eventually, he looked away and dropped his head onto Chris's shoulder again. Chris expected him to fall asleep, but instead Mark reached for the remote and flipped through the on-demand menu and settled on some sort of horror movie.

Chris couldn’t stop thinking about the emails Mark had written to Eduardo and wondering how he could use those to get the two of them to start speaking again. He needed to talk to Dustin and find out what he could about Eduardo and how he was doing these days. He was paying no attention to the movie or to Mark other than to be somewhat aware of his warm weight against his side. He was too busy organizing his thoughts PR-style on how he was going to get Mark to reach out to Eduardo, which is why he didn’t quite notice that Mark had gotten closer at first.

There was a part of his brain yelling at him to quit thinking and pay attention because things were warmer, and Mark was indeed, closer. His arm was around Chris’s middle, fingers slipping bravely beneath his shirt to touch his waist, lips suddenly and softly brushing his neck. He was too shocked to do anything but shiver, because Mark’s warm breath on his skin tickled. But that was apparently the wrong thing to do, because Mark made a soft sound of satisfaction. Encouraged, he moved too quickly for Chris to do anything about it, crawling into Chris’s lap and straddling his legs. And then Mark had a hand on the back of his neck and was kissing him.

Chris stayed perfectly still for a moment, and he meant to push Mark away, he really did, but Mark’s lips were surprisingly soft and when he ran his tongue over Chris’s bottom lip, he couldn’t resist. He moaned a little and opened his mouth for Mark’s tongue and their kiss deepened. Chris sank his fingers into Mark’s hair and pulled him closer, gripping his hip with the other hand. The kiss, having Mark warm and willing in his lap…it was all very intoxicating. Mark was a surprisingly great kisser. And there was a part of him that wanted more, that wanted to say fuck the fallout and consequences. He could see himself pushing Mark down on the couch, climbing on top of him, kissing his jaw line, his neck, his collar bone, slipping his hands under his shirt. He ran his tongue eagerly over the roof of Mark’s mouth, fingers tugging on his curls. Mark whimpered a bit and Chris _wanted_. But the sensible part of his brain quickly became too much for him to ignore.

“Mark…” his voice was rougher than he would have liked, and Mark only pulled back for a second before kissing him again, eager and a little sloppy. But despite his darker fantasies, Chris was determined now, and he pushed Mark away gently, pulling back and shifting until Mark was no longer in his lap. “We can’t do this.”

“Why not?” Mark asked, sounding a little sullen and rejected.

“Because…Jesus, where do I start?” Chris answered, a little flustered. “ _I’m_ not the one you want,” he said finally.

A sharp flicker of hurt flashed through Mark’s eyes before he ducked his head. “But you’re _here_ ,” Mark protested.

Chris scowled. “So I’m the convenient choice,” he said flatly. “That’s nice Mark. If you wanted convenience you could’ve just flashed some money towards your _fans_ and they would’ve jumped into bed with you without a second thought.”

Mark shook his head and looked up again, eyes pained and embarrassed now. “No, Chris…that’s…that’s not what I meant.”

“Really.”

“Yes! I’m…look, I’m sorry okay?! I didn’t…I’m tired of being alone, and I’m comfortable with you and you’re probably my best friend and…” he trailed off. When he looked up again, his eyes were so sad that Chris could barely resist from reaching out to hug him. “I miss him,” he repeated in a very soft voice.

And then Chris _couldn’t_ resist, leaning forward and yanking Mark close to him again. “I know you do. But nothing is going to change if you don’t try and do something about it. Email him. Call him. Do something. I don’t think he’s going to reject you the way you think he will.”

Mark gave a barely imperceptible nod against his shoulder and he didn’t try to pull away, but he gave Chris no verbal replies. And this time, after they sat together for a while, Mark finally fell asleep.

Cautiously, so as not to wake Mark up, Chris fished his phone out of his pocket and sent a one-handed text to Dustin asking him to come to Mark's house now.  He considered putting a "911" message in the text, but he didn't want Dustin to worry.  Not to mention it made him feel rather juvenile.  
  
Dustin replied with a simple question mark and then a quick, _"I'll be right over."_ Chris was grateful he didn't have to try and explain via text message.  It really wouldn't be so bad, but he only had one free hand available and he was no longer used to one-handed texting.  Moving the other hand would require untangling himself from Mark, and he didn't want to wake him up.  
  
Mark looked so much younger when he slept...like he was nineteen again and falling asleep in front of his computer.  Chris could easily recall a dozen times that had happened, and they were inevitably followed by Eduardo's soft murmurings, hands gently pulling Mark away from his computer and into bed.  And Eduardo almost always stayed; the two of them falling asleep in each other's arms.  
  
Chris smiled softly and looked down at him, gently running his hand through Mark's curls.  He knew that Eduardo had made Mark happy then.  That Eduardo had made Mark happy in a way that no one and nothing else - including Facebook - ever had.  
  
Dustin used his spare key to get into Mark's house - they had both made copies of his house key quite some time ago.  If Eduardo wasn't around to take care of Mark and his basic necessities, then they wanted to have access to him in case of an emergency.  

Chris had been expecting it, but he still blushed a little when Dustin stopped abruptly and met his eyes with a raised eyebrow and a curious smirk. He flicked his fingers between the two of them and continued smirking.  "What's all this about?" he asked, a sort of teasing curiosity in his voice.  "If you guys were going to have a sleepover, I want to know why you didn't invite me."  
  
"I did invite you," Chris whispered and rolled his eyes.  "You're here now, aren't you?"  
  
"Mmm-hmm," Dustin answered, nodding.  "But I clearly missed out on all the fun."  
  
Chris blushed again and shook his head, but Dustin was relentless.  "Oh no, Chris, you're not going to tell me this is nothing.  You're b _lushing_.  And Mark, who is uncomfortable with a friendly shoulder pat, is plastered to your side and practically drooling on your shoulder.  Explain."  
  
Chris rolled his eyes again and glared at him.  "I was planning on explaining, but I need you to stop gawking and help me get him to bed."  
  
"I didn't come prepared for a threesome," Dustin deadpanned.  
  
"Will you shut up?!"  
  
"Hang on," he paused, holding up a finger and fishing his phone out of his pocket.  Before Chris could ask what he was doing, he held it up and took a picture of the two of them tangled on the couch.  
  
"Seriously?" Chris asked.  "We're not in college anymore.  What are you going to do with that?"  
  
Dustin shrugged, smirked again and put his phone away.  "Ok, let's do this.  Are you waking him up or am I?"  
  
Chris glared at him again and then turned his attention to Mark.  He shook his shoulder gently and leaned a little closer, trying to nudge him forward on the couch.  "Mark," he murmured.  "I need you to stand up and go to bed."  It took a little more coaxing, but Mark mumbled something incoherent and let Chris and Dustin pull him up off the couch.  
  
Eventually, they got him upstairs to his bedroom and Chris tucked him into bed.  He pulled the blankets over him and couldn't resist brushing a few curls off of his forehead.  Mark hummed a little at that and turned his head to the side, hands gripping a little more tightly to the covers.  "'Night Wardo..." Mark murmured.  
  
Chris froze and watched steadily as Mark's breathing evened out and he fell asleep again.  Shaking his head, he sighed and clucked his tongue softly.  He brushed his fingers lightly over Mark's wrist and finally turned away, pausing to grab Mark's cell phone from the nightstand and take it with him.  He didn't want anything to interrupt some much-needed sleep.  
  
Dustin was waiting wide-eyed in the hall, his body practically vibrating with curiosity.  "Downstairs," Chris hissed, closing Mark's bedroom door behind him and breezing past Dustin before he had a chance to say a word.  
  
It didn't stop him from saying _several_ words once they were both downstairs.  "Chris...what the hell is going on?!  Why were you and Mark all cuddly?  Why is he murmuring Wardo's name?  Why do you look so sad?"  
  
Chris frowned.  "I look sad?"  
  
"Well, you kept giving Mark these sad little looks, and then you put him to bed like...like..."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Well, like _Eduardo_ would have back at Harvard!" Dustin spluttered.  
  
Chris sighed again and sat down on the couch, motioning for Dustin to join him.  He explained everything...Mark's attitude for the past few months - something Dustin admitted to noticing as well - what Mark had told him at the bar about seeing Eduardo and Mark's confession of his attempts to contact Eduardo, which really weren't attempts at all.  He even told him about the kiss.  
  
"Wait, what...just... _what_?  You kissed him?!"  
  
"Dustin...he kissed me.  He was drunk.  I...I didn't let it last.  Then he told me that he's lonely and repeated that he misses Eduardo.  Which is part of the reason I called you...I know you've stayed closer to Eduardo than I have over the years."  
  
"We kinda had to choose sides," Dustin said sadly.  
  
Chris nodded in agreement.  It sucked.  They both knew that; but there was no changing the past.  Maybe, if things worked out the way Chris wanted them to the future would be better.  "I know that I'm probably overstepping my bounds, but I want to find a way to fix this," Chris went on.  "To fix them."  
  
Dustin's eyes brightened and he smiled a little wickedly at Chris.  "So, matchmaking scheme then?"  
  
Chris laughed.  "Um...something like that, but less devious than you're making it sound."  
  
"Are you serious Chris?"  
  
"Why wouldn't I be serious?"  
  
"Because you've always been strictly in the 'staying out of it' or 'it's none of my business' camps.  So what changed?" he asked curiously.  Chris could tell that this wasn't one of his joking or teasing questions, but an actual desire to know.  
  
"I don't know.  It wasn't just tonight.  You know that Mark and I have become closer than we ever were back at school.  I mean, I know he probably deserves this...he was an asshole.  But I don't like seeing him this way...lonely and sad and regretful.  I just...I don't think anyone else besides Eduardo is going to make him that happy again."  
  
Dustin hummed thoughtfully and was silent for a few minutes.  "You called me to find out how Eduardo is doing," he stated softly.  "To see if he's moved on."  
  
Chris nodded.  "You know I haven't talked him in a while, and I don't want to open up old wounds unnecessarily.  If he's found someone else, if he's moved on, if he's happy...I don't want to ruin that.  But if he's...if there's a chance he's been holding onto all of this just as hard as Mark has..."  
  
"He hasn't moved on Chris," Dustin answered quickly, eyes a little sad in a way that Chris thought might mirror his own.  
  
"So they've both been..."  
  
"Miserable," Dustin finished for him.  "For years."  
  
"Shit."  
  
"Yeah."

They were both quiet for a few minutes.  Chris wondered how they could possibly make this work, but he knew they had to try.  Maybe he had turned a blind eye before by not intervening when Mark and Eduardo began to break apart, but he couldn't do the same thing now.  He cared about them both, especially Mark now that they had become so close...and more than anything he wanted Mark to be happy.  
  
"So what do we do now?" Dustin asked.  "I'm hoping you already have some sort of plan in mind."  
  
Chris smiled and shook his head.  "Not really.  But we can start with this."  He stood up and grabbed Mark's laptop from the dining room table, bringing it back to the couch and handing it to Dustin.  "I need you to hack into Mark's email."  
  
Dustin's eyes widened in surprise, but it was quickly followed by a delighted grin.  "Anything you say."  
  
It took Dustin much less time than Chris had expected and he had to wonder if he had been under-appreciating Dustin's skills for the past so many years or over-appreciating Mark's.  
"What are we looking for?"  
  
"The drafts folder.  Maybe it's a subfolder or something...the emails he said he composed to Eduardo but never sent."  He sat down next to Dustin on the couch and watched him locate the folder they wanted with minimal effort.  
  
"Um, Chris..."  
  
"Yeah, I see it too."  
  
There were a grand total of one hundred and twenty-seven emails in Mark's drafts folder.  It was in fact a special folder set aside for emails specifically composed to one  [ e.saverin@gmail.com ](mailto:e.saverin@gmail.com) .  Chris hadn't expected so many.  Some of them were even a couple of years old.  
  
He sighed.  "Can you...can you somehow forward them all to me without it showing that they were forwarded to me?"  Chris asked softly.  
  
Dustin nodded.  "Do you want to read any of them now?"  
  
"No, I...I'm afraid I won't be able to stop once I start and I don't want to do this here.  If he wakes up...and if the amount of emails is any indication as to _how_ hurt he's been for so long, I..." he trailed off and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to ward off an already impending headache.  "Dustin, I had no idea," he finished in a whisper, looking stricken.  
  
Dustin shook his head.  "This isn't your fault Chris."  
  
"I know, I just...I wish I had known sooner.  I mean I always knew that he had never dealt well with losing Wardo.  But I don't think I realized how much he's kept to himself," Chris murmured.  
  
"But that's _Mark_ ," Dustin protested.  "He built a fortress around his feelings after everything that happened with Eduardo...not that he was all sharing and caring before that, but you know what I mean.  He's let you in considerably more than anyone else _besides_ Eduardo.  That's saying something."  
  
Chris nodded and took a deep breath, flashing Dustin a grateful smile.  Dustin finished what he had to do and made sure to cover his tracks before shutting down Mark's laptop again.  
  
"Just remember that this is Mark...he may figure it out," Dustin warned.  
  
Chris laughed.  "Oh I know."

They talked for a while longer before Dustin finally went home.  Chris told him that he would talk to Mark in the morning and convince him to contact Eduardo before they tried to do anything on their own.  Dustin agreed that even if they didn't get to hatch any complicated plots or plans to get the two of them back together – something he was obviously looking forward to – it would be best for them to work this out on their own.  And they both knew that it had to be Mark to make the first move.  
  
Chris couldn't help himself after that, drawn back upstairs to Mark's room like a magnet.  He thought about skimming through Mark's emails, but he knew he wouldn't be able to turn away until he had read all of them and it was nearing four a.m.  He was tired and he knew that talking to Mark in the morning wouldn't be easy.  
  
Mark was still fast asleep, curled up on his side now, hands tucked underneath his pillow.  Chris smiled softly at him in the dim light of the room and sat down on the opposite side of the bed.  Yawning, he leaned back against the headboard and shut his eyes.  He only intended to stay there for a few minutes, sort of overcome with the need to watch and make sure Mark was okay for now, but it didn't take long for him to fall asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>  Chris POV.  Post-movie.  Chris takes on Eduardo's role as best-friend and becomes a matchmaker along the way.

When he woke up the morning light was grey and he could hear rain falling on the roof. Blinking, he found himself face to face with Mark, who was still lying in the same position from the night before, watching him quietly and curiously. 

"We kissed last night," Mark stated matter-of-factly. 

Chris smirked, yawned and stretched his arms over his head before looking at Mark again. "We did," he agreed solemnly. "Good morning to you too by the way." Mark frowned in reply and continued to watch him steadily. "What else do you remember about last night?" 

"Nothing," he answered almost immediately, lowering his eyes and pretending to stretch out a little bit. 

"You're a bad liar Mark." 

Mark opened his mouth to protest but quickly shut it again. He sat up and leaned back against the headboard, crossing his arms over his chest and looking at Chris with a certain air of impatience. 

Knowing this was going to be a difficult conversation, Chris sat up as well and crossed his legs so he could face Mark. He nodded towards the nightstand. "There's water there if you're thirsty." 

Mark's eyes widened just slightly and only for a moment before he turned away. Chris knew he wasn't used to being taken care of. "Where's my phone?" he asked after gulping down some water. 

"Downstairs. I didn't want it to wake you up." 

"You couldn't have just silenced it?" Mark snapped. 

Chris ignored him. He leaned forward a little and caught Mark's eyes again, not at all put off by his hardened glare. "I know you're not going to like this, but we either do it now or I keep harassing you about it, and I know you like to get things taken care of as quickly and efficiently as possible. So I'm not going to waste your time or mine with small talk." 

"Chris, I already apologized for kissing you," Mark blurted out. He blushed and lowered his eyes.

Baffled for a moment, Chris looked at him oddly before realizing where Mark's discomfort was coming from. He laughed and reached out to put his hand on Mark's knee. Smiling, he waited for Mark to meet his eyes again and shook his head. "You don't have to apologize for the kiss," he said. "That's...that's not what I was talking about. And for the record...you're a very good kisser Mark." 

Mark blushed hotly and ducked his head again, avoiding eye contact. Chris waited, smiling warmly and honestly when Mark finally looked up again. He knew Mark would give just about anything for this conversation to end and Chris didn't want to torture him with it, knowing that what they _really_ needed to talk about would be difficult enough. But last night, and again just now, he had the brief thought that under different circumstances a relationship with Mark would be...interesting to say the least. Chris didn't think he would ever have as much patience as Eduardo had, but he could see why Eduardo had fallen as hard as he had. 

"So what _do_ you want to talk about?" Mark asked after a few minutes of silence. He shifted uncomfortably and Chris leaned back a little, removing his hand from Mark's knee. "And why am I not going to like it?" he added, sounding a bit nervous. Chris knew Mark was far from stupid and he probably knew exactly what Chris wanted to talk about. Avoiding it and actually talking about it were two different things though. 

"Eduardo," Chris answered succinctly. It was easier to just say it...like ripping off a bandage. 

Mark tensed, his eyes hardening over the quick flash of pain. It was amazing how quickly and how thoroughly he threw up those walls.

But Chris was prepared for this and he didn’t allow Mark to protest or stop the conversation before it even started. “I know it’s easiest for you to bury how hurt you are. How hurt you’ve always been.”

“I’m not--”

“Mark, don’t argue with me!” Chris interrupted harshly. “Look at last night. You’ve buried everything so much and for such a long time, and it came out last night with a little too much alcohol.”

“So I won’t drink as much,” Mark replied flatly.

Chris shook his head and glared at him. “No, you’re going to talk to him. You have to make the first move. Reach out to him and tell him you want to talk.”

“What?” Mark looked as if Chris had suggested he give up coding. “I’m not… _he’s_ the one who…”

“Damn it Mark, it’s been years! Both of you made mistakes! You let Sean walk all over him, he froze the account, you cut him out, he sued you…the two of you are worse than a soap opera!” Chris yelled, beyond exasperated. “And neither of you have ever moved on. What does that tell you?”

Mark, who had been doing his best to pretend like he wasn’t listening to Chris, suddenly looked up at him sharply. “ _Neither_ of us?” he whispered.

Chris’s expression softened and he leaned a little closer and nodded. “I talked to Dustin last night; you know he’s stayed close with Eduardo. I can’t…Mark, I can’t give you a lot of details because I don’t know them. But I know he’s not happy. That guy you saw him with? It was nothing serious. Dustin said he hasn’t been seeing anyone seriously since…well, in a very long time.”

Mark stared at him intently, searching for a lie or even an exaggeration. Chris knew it was hard for him to give in to what might be the first flicker of hope in a very long time. He finally looked away, exhaling shakily and biting his thumbnail. 

“I don’t want you to think I’m making light of this Mark, or that I think any of this is as simple as a few emails or the two of you having a couple conversations. I know it’ll be hard and I know you’re afraid that nothing will change…but it can’t be worse than now, right?” he asked softly.

Mark was silent for a while, pointedly not looking at Chris. He blinked rapidly a few times and Chris felt his heart ache, wanting to reach out a pull him close…and knowing that Mark would completely reject that. He may have been clingy last night, but he had also been drunk and exhausted. Chris knew hugging him now wouldn’t go over well.

Finally, Mark looked up at him again and there was a flash of very nervous hope in this eyes that made Chris fight back a smile. “So…what do I do?” he asked reluctantly, voice a little hoarse.

Chris couldn’t help himself, reaching out to brush a curl off of Mark’s forehead, an action that was quickly met with a scowl. “Do what’s easiest for you. Email him,” he said simply. 

“And say what?”

Chris rolled his eyes. “You don’t have to write a novel. Tell him that you miss him. Tell him you’d like to talk to him. It doesn’t have to be some grand, wordy apology. In fact, I’m pretty sure it’d be best if you don’t try to be wordy.” Mark narrowed his eyes and glared at him, but Chris only smiled brighter.

“So can I go to work now?” Mark asked after a few moments. “The site could’ve crashed for all I know since you left my phone and laptop downstairs.”

Chris laughed and shook his head. “The site is fine. And no, you can’t go to work yet, but I will get your laptop.”

“For what?”

“To send that email.”

“Now?” He looked mildly horrified.

Chris nodded and looked at him pointedly. “Yes now. I know you and I know if you don’t do it now, you’ll just keep finding reasons to put it off. And as much as I don’t mind putting your drunken ass to bed, I’d rather not make a habit of it if you don’t mind.”

They went downstairs and Chris made coffee while Mark booted up his laptop and checked on the site. Chris knew he was stalling a bit and he let it go because he knew how terrifying this was for Mark. Eventually he brought a cup of coffee to Mark and sat down next to him on the couch. Glancing at his laptop, Chris was surprised to see that Mark had his email up on the screen and already had Eduardo’s email written out in the “to” field. He took a sip of his coffee and squeezed Mark’s shoulder. Mark looked over at him sharply, expression a cross between frustration, fear and gratefulness. Chris simply smiled at him and leaned back against the couch, watching as Mark focused on the screen again, his fingers hovering uncertainly over the keys. He didn’t say anything, knowing that if Mark needed something that _this time_ , he’d ask. And sure enough, when he was finished, he turned the screen towards Chris and looked at him pointedly.

_Eduardo,_

_I know it’s been…a long time. And I know I’m not really in a position to be making any requests, but I would…I’d like to talk to you. Sometime. If you want to._

_I just…I miss you._

_Think about it. Please._

_Mark._

Chris looked up at him and smiled fondly. He knew how difficult this had been and Mark had written something…well, something more than Chris had expected really. 

“Send it. And don’t you dare try to go back in a few hours and hack into Eduardo’s email or something to delete it before he reads it,” Chris warned.

Mark shook his head impatiently, took a deep breath and hit send. Then he shut the lid of his computer and sat it next to him, slouching back against the couch and sighing.

“Chris…”

“Hmm?”

“What if…what if he doesn’t reply?” Mark asked quietly.

Chris glanced at him and saw him looking down at his computer anxiously. “He’ll reply.”

“How do you know?”

“Because this is Eduardo,” Chris answered simply. “First of all he’s too polite to simply ignore an email without a response. Secondly…it’s _you_. He doesn’t exactly have a great track record when it comes to refusing you.”

Mark had the decency to blush and shake his head. “But…what if he tells me to fuck off or that he never wants to speak to me or--”

“Mark,” Chris interrupted. “I honestly doubt that he’ll say any of that, but if he does…well, then he does. And I know that’ll hurt, but at least you’ll know.”

Mark seemed to think about that for a few minutes before nodding quickly in agreement.

"Right. Okay so are you coming to work or are you just going to lie around my house all day?" Mark asked briskly, suddenly all-business.

Chris smiled into his coffee cup and relaxed more fully into Mark's couch. "Mark?" He was gathering up his laptop and looking around for a few other items, not really paying attention to Chris anymore. Chris reached for the remote and turned on the TV, idly flipping through channels and watching his friend out of the corner of his eye. "Hey Mark?" he asked again.

"What?"

"It's Sunday." Mark stopped what he was doing and turned around to glare at Chris. "You can certainly go to the office if you want, but I think I am in fact going to lie around your house all day," Chris quipped.

Mark continued glaring at him for a few moments before rolling his eyes and dropping back down onto the couch next to Chris. He sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, apparently personally offended by the one day of the week that forced him to at least try and stay home.

"Chris if you're going to stay here can we at least watch something other than HGTV?" Mark grumbled.

Chris laughed and dropped the remote into his lap. "If you can find something better than an all day House Hunters marathon, then be my guest."

~*~*~

In the end, Chris couldn’t bring himself to read any of Mark’s emails to Eduardo. He saved them all in a folder on a secondary email account in case there was any reason he’d need them in the future, but reading them felt like…too much. He already knew how Mark felt. And he knew those emails were private, and had the potential to be heartbreaking. Chris doubted that he’d be able to read them and go on pretending like he hadn’t when he was around Mark.

The next couple of weeks went by slowly; they all seemed to be waiting. Chris spent a good deal of his time watching Mark. Good or bad, he was waiting for some sort of reaction. He made it a point not to push, because after the weekend they’d shared, he trusted Mark to come to him if he really needed him. Dustin followed Chris’s example and left Mark alone much more than he would on a normal basis. 

And Mark was just…waiting. He was more quiet than usual, but he wasn’t lashing out at anyone or even working more than he usually did…which was still an awful lot. But Chris kept a careful eye on him, interrupting him occasionally with lunch or a work-related conversation…squeezing his shoulder gently when Mark couldn’t ask what Chris knew he was desperate to know.

_Why hasn’t Eduardo emailed me back yet?_

Eventually Mark’s fragilely constructed hope began to disintegrate and he reverted back to the persona of the previous two months. Closed off and cold and snapping over the smallest of things.

Chris found himself growing angry with Eduardo and he had to stop himself from picking up the phone to call him more than once. He forced himself to wait just a little while longer before he interfered. 

“Dustin, want to go get lunch?” Chris asked, tone clipped.

He looked at Chris without answering for a few moments, appearing a bit surprised. “Um, okay.”

“Why do you sound so wary?”

“Because I don’t think you have ever asked me to go to lunch in the history of Facebook,” Dustin replied.

Chris rolled his eyes. “Let’s just go.”

There were usually plenty of food choices in the office cafeteria, but Chris wasn’t concerned about actually eating. He just wanted to speak with Dustin away from anywhere Mark might have the opportunity to overhear them. 

“Why hasn’t Eduardo emailed Mark back yet?” Chris asked quickly. They had ended up at a local Chinese restaurant. Chris had only been able to wait until they were seated to ask.

Dustin’s eyes widened and he shook his head. “How am I supposed to know?”

“You talk to him fairly often. I know you do. Why hasn’t he replied? It’s killing Mark,” he snapped. He heard the tone of his voice replay in his head and he cringed a little. Sighing, he shook his head and took a sip of water. “I’m sorry Dustin…I didn’t mean to jump down your throat. I know it’s not your fault. I’m just…well, you’ve seen him. He was hopeful for a little while, but now he’s…”

“Crushed. I know Chris,” Dustin replied quietly. “And I don’t know why Eduardo hasn’t responded. He hasn’t replied to any of my emails in the past week either. I’ve called him twice and he hasn’t returned my calls. I just…I don’t think he’s blowing Mark off. I think he’s probably still processing the fact that Mark reached out at all. I know patience isn’t Mark’s strong suit, but he needs to just give him a little time.”

Chris sighed again and sat back in the booth, finger playing absently with his straw. “Mark’s main worry was that Eduardo wouldn’t respond,” he murmured. “I told him that he would. Hell, I practically promised him that he would. I know Wardo has every right to be angry with him after everything he did. I know how hurt he was…and probably still is.” Dustin nodded at that. “I just…I can’t imagine him not wanting to make things right between them again.”

“He does,” Dustin stated. “I know he does. I just don’t think he ever thought that this would happen. That Mark would reach out to him.”

Chris smiled at little at that and took another sip of water. “That’s true. It was probably rather surprising.”

Dustin returned his smile and nodded. “Chris, I promise if he doesn’t call or email me back…if he doesn’t email Mark back, I’ll personally fly to Singapore and make him respond.”

Chris grinned. “Maybe we should just encourage Mark to fly to Singapore.”

“Well sure, if you’re looking for Wardo to die of shock.”

Chris laughed.

~*~*~

It was Friday night and Mark was, as usual, still coding in his office. The upcoming weekend would be three weeks from when Mark had emailed Eduardo, and Chris and Dustin were both concerned about him because they knew he was hurting. They knew that if left to his own devices he would stay in his office all night and probably most of Saturday, so it was a mutual decision to invade his office with an invitation to come out for pizza and beer.

Mark's answer was less than agreeable...it was mostly just a moment of him staring at both of them before he went back to the computer. Chris sighed, Dustin rolled his eyes and then they both went back to trying to convince him to save things and come with him.

"Mark seriously, I think we might need to have you surgically removed from your chair soon," Dustin said flatly.

"Mark, come on. Pizza and beer...you can't resist that. It's bad for you and it tastes good...and it's Friday night. You don't need to stay at the office," Chris said gently. He perched on the edge of Mark's desk, receiving a very quick glance from him...a look that simply said, _don't push me_.

Dustin started going on about the merits of pizza and beer and how it was delicious and cured anything and it would be just like old times at Harvard. As soon as he mentioned the university, Chris stood up and glared at him, hissing about how he couldn’t believe he would be stupid enough to bring up Harvard. Dustin complained about how it was his past too and he had good memories of their time at school, and not everything had to be about drama and angst.

“He emailed me back.”

Mark’s voice was neither very loud nor filled with any discernable emotion, but it froze both Dustin and Chris and instantly put an end to their bickering.

“Just now,” Mark added, a very slight tremble in his voice.

“What does it say?” Both Chris and Dustin asked at the same time, Chris’s tone a bit aggressive as if he was ready to jump in and blame Eduardo for whatever he might have said. Dustin’s was just the opposite, ready to defend Eduardo and to tell Mark that he had a right to be angry with him. Maybe, despite their hope, they had both been worried that nothing good would come of this.

Mark didn’t answer them right away, eyes trained on his screen. Chris wanted to move closer, wanted to be there for whatever the response might be, but he stayed where he was and waited, knowing that this wasn’t his email to read. Chris saw when he finished reading and his eyes immediately flicked downwards, trying to cover up what Chris desperately hoped was a tiny smile.

“Mark?” he asked tentatively.

He stood up and zipped his hoodie. “So, pizza and beer?” he asked, and there was a definite hint of something lighter in his voice.

Dustin threw up his hands in frustration and reached across Mark’s desk to snatch his laptop. His eyes scanned the screen quickly before he broke out into a wide, bright smile and turned the computer around so Chris could see the screen.

_Mark,_

_Sorry it took me so long to reply; I couldn’t figure out what to say. Or more accurately, how to say it._

_I would like to talk. Very much. Whenever you’re available._

_-Eduardo_

_PS I’ve missed you too._

Chris looked up from the screen and immediately met Mark's eyes. To anyone else, there wouldn't be much emotion visible on his face, but Chris knew him. Chris could see the relief in his eyes, the careful hope.

“So, are you going to write him back?” Dustin asked, still grinning.

Mark ducked his head to hide a smile. “Later,” he mumbled.

Chris laughed. “You’re allowed to be happy you know,” he said. “We won’t tell anyone. Promise.”

~*~*~

"Chris, I need you to come to my house tonight. We should be there by about seven." 

Mark walked away from Chris's desk as quickly as he had shown up, back to his office and his computer. Chris was slightly amused, but more curious than anything else. He glanced at his clock and saw that it was almost six now; he had intended to go home this evening and relax with a glass or two of wine. He shut down his own computer and followed Mark into his office, perching on the edge of his desk. 

"So, can you tell me why I'm coming to your house this evening? Or is this just an order I'm supposed to follow without question?" he asked teasingly. He expected an eye roll or maybe even an exasperated huff that would've told Chris he had simply forgotten plans that Mark may or may not have told him about already. Instead, Mark chewed his bottom lip and took his time before looking up from his computer screen even though Chris could tell he wasn't really doing any work. When he finally met Chris's eyes his expression was filled with anxiety. 

Chris frowned. "Is something wrong?" 

Mark shook his head emphatically and looked back at the monitor, fingers tapping nervously against the keys. He didn't answer, but he clicked a few things with his mouse and then turned his monitor towards Chris. 

"His flight lands in about twenty minutes. But I figure it'll take a while to go through customs and get a taxi and then ride to my house. I offered to pick him up, but he said this would be easier and--" 

"Mark!" Chris cut off his rapid, urgent flow of words and looked at him carefully. The itinerary on the screen was clearly for a flight arriving from Singapore. "Eduardo is coming here? Tonight?" 

Mark stared at him for a few moments before nodding curtly and eagerly looking away again. He reached out to pull the monitor back into place and Chris grabbed his hand. Mark was practically vibrating, and he was actively avoiding Chris's eyes. 

"I-I asked him to come and visit," Mark explained softly. "He said yes." 

Chris couldn't help but hear the note of surprise in Mark's voice over Eduardo's answer. It made him squeeze Mark's hand lightly and smile a little sadly. "What? Just today he said yes and then hopped on a twenty-three hour flight?" 

This time Mark did roll his eyes, but he didn't make an attempt to pull his hand away. "No," he replied sullenly. "We...we worked it out last week."

It was on the tip of Chris's tongue to push, to ask why he hadn't said anything sooner, but he let it go. He had a feeling that Mark might have thought that talking about it would cause it not to happen. Or that Eduardo might change his mind and then he'd have no choice but to wear his disappointment on his sleeve. Despite his curiosity, Chris hadn’t asked Mark how things with Eduardo were going. He didn’t have to. Mark was happier than he’d been in a very long time. 

Chris also didn't need to ask why Mark was asking him to come over. He knew. He knew that despite how he felt, despite several weeks of email exchanges and a few phone calls between Mark and Eduardo that Mark still didn't trust that any of this would work out. And if Eduardo didn't show up tonight...Mark wouldn't want to be alone. 

So Chris simply nodded and pushed away from the desk. 

"Well, are we leaving now or what? Do you want to stop and get some food on the way home? I'm pretty sure your cupboards are bare." 

Mark drew in a shaky breath and shut down his computer, glancing quickly at Chris and trying his best to hide a small smile. He shrugged in response, but didn’t resist when Chris herded him out of his office.

~*~*~ 

Chris knew better than to tell Mark to calm down. 

He went on pretending that he was watching television, but was in fact watching Mark out of the corner of his eye. First he had been sitting next to Chris on the couch, laptop open in front of him, but he couldn't concentrate. So he'd set the computer aside and had started flipping through TV channels with ridiculous speed until Chris snatched the remote out of his hand. Now, he kept moving about...a few minutes on the couch next to Chris, then he'd walk into the kitchen, then through the hallway, all the while looking at his phone every few seconds. 

Finally, his phone beeped to indicate a new text message and both Chris and Mark froze. Chris watched him intently as Mark stared at the screen. 

"He's um...on his way. From the airport."

Chris smiled. “Mark, come here a second.”

Mark stared at his phone for a few more moments, typed out a quick reply and then slowly walked back over to Chris. Chris grabbed his wrist and pulled him down onto the couch again. “You look terrified,” Chris remarked, amused. “This is a good thing,” he went on. “Wardo coming to visit…right?”

Mark nodded, but he didn’t relax at all. Chris simply squeezed his hand and smiled at him and then sat back against the cushions. “I know you’re too nervous to sit here. Go ahead…go wait by the door. I’ll be in here if you need anything.” Mark nodded again, this time looking like he wanted to say something, but unable to find the words.

Twenty minutes or so passed before Chris heard the sound of a car door slamming. He lowered the volume on the TV and heard Mark draw in a shaky breath. Chris couldn’t help feeling a little bit nervous as well even though he fully believed that the two of them would work things out. 

Chris listened, heard the door open and could practically feel Mark's nerves. He couldn't help himself, and went to the other end of the hall so he could see the two of them. 

"How was your flight?"

"Long. But otherwise fine."

Mark's voice was soft, rough and Chris could tell with just a glance how overwhelming this was for him. Eduardo looked infinitely more put together, but then again he always had. Yes, he had been the one to wear his heart on his sleeve, the one whose smiles were always easily given; it had always been Mark who didn't know what to do with his emotions when they started to show. But Chris knew what had to happen next. Mark had made the first move and had emailed him. Eduardo had to find a way to reassure Mark that he wanted the two of them to fix things. 

They were facing each other in Mark's small entryway. Mark was caught between keeping his eyes firmly on the ground and being unable to stop looking up at Eduardo. Eduardo appeared to be nervous, but there was a soft, fond smile on his face and he couldn't take his eyes off of Mark.

“I’m…I’m glad you came,” Mark said softly. Chris smiled warmly, not used to seeing Mark so unsure of himself. He’d nearly forgotten that Eduardo had that sort of power over him. It was… _refreshing_ in a way.

Eduardo’s smile brightened a little and he dropped his remaining bag onto the floor next to his suitcase, stepping slightly closer to Mark in the process. “I’m glad you asked me,” he murmured.

Mark looked up and Chris could not only see, but could practically _feel_ how desperate he was. And where Mark was so confident in so many other things, Eduardo had always left him uncertain and out of his element. This time he held Eduardo’s gaze, his hand moving restlessly at his side.

“Wardo…I…”

His shaking voice only got that far before Eduardo stepped in and pulled Mark close, arms wrapping securely around his back, one hand coming up to press against the back of his neck. Mark let out a small sob and fell into Eduardo’s arms eagerly, wrapping his arms tightly around Eduardo and burying his face against his neck.

“Mark…” he said softly, affectionately. He pressed a kiss to the top of Mark’s head and shut his eyes, his expression going tight for just a second, filled with a painful sort of relief. And Chris knew then with certainty that despite everything, Eduardo had missed Mark just as much. 

Chris felt his heart ache and he leaned against the doorframe a little bit, watching them hold each other. Watching them reconnect. He smiled warmly and swallowed over the lump in his throat, rolling his eyes a bit as he turned away, wondering when he had become such a ridiculous romantic. He went back into the living room and sat down, wanting to give them privacy and knowing he had better text Dustin before he started hounding him with calls every few minutes.

He smiled to himself again as he texted his friend, letting him know that they hadn’t even gotten past Mark’s front hallway before they were in each other’s arms. Dustin’s clearly-ecstatic keyboard smash reply made him laugh out loud. It wasn’t long after that Mark walked into the living room, hand clasped tightly around Eduardo’s.

“Hi Chris,” Eduardo said warmly, his eyes bright. Mark met Chris’s eyes for a second before blushing and looking away again. Chris couldn’t stop smiling as he looked back and forth between the two of them.

“Hey Wardo. Good to see you,” he replied. He looked at them for just a few moments longer before pushing his hands against his knees and standing up. “There’s plenty of food in the fridge, if you’re hungry. Just deli stuff, nothing fancy,” he said as he shrugged into his jacket and grabbed his keys from the coffee table. 

“Thanks Chris,” Eduardo murmured. Their eyes met for a moment and Chris knew that his thanks had little to nothing to do with the food. 

“Ok, so I’m gonna go,” he went on. “And just a fair warning…Dustin knows you’re in town and that you’re here, so expect a visit from him in the next few days. I’ll try to keep him away as long as I can, but well…” he trailed off with a shrug. Eduardo laughed and nodded; Mark still just looked a little bewildered as if he wasn’t really sure this was real.

“Oh and Mark?” he added, waiting for his friend to look up and meet his eyes. “If I see you anywhere near the office tomorrow, I will literally kidnap you and bring you back here. Ok?”

Mark scowled at him a little, but nodded, and Eduardo moved a little closer to him as if to say he wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon.

After that Chris just smiled at both of them and turned to leave, briefly wondering how he was going to get any sleep tonight knowing that he would be too damn curious as to what was happening between Mark and Eduardo. He was turning the doorknob to leave, when Mark caught his other wrist and held him in place.

“Chris wait…just…” Chris turned and looked at him curiously. Mark looked a little flustered, but when he met Chris’s eyes they were soft and…grateful. “Thank you,” he said softly. Chris skimmed his hand up Mark’s arm and squeezed his shoulder gently. He simply met his eyes and smiled in reply before turning away and pulling the door shut behind him.

Fin

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on my LJ, April 21, 2011.


End file.
